It’s a day ending in “y,” which means that the Dallas Cowboys have yet again told their best player they have no intention of meeting his contract demands.
Parsons and the Cowboys are engaged in one of the league’s more highly publicized contract standoffs as the NFL enters its first week of action, with the Hall of Fame game set to take place on Thursday night. Unlike the other high-profile pass-rusher contract holdout, that of Cincinnati’s Trey Hendrickson, Parsons is a full participant in the Cowboys’ training camp activities.
However, that doesn’t mean his team is cutting him any breaks.
Cowboys fans have peppered Dallas Owner Jerry Jones and his son, Executive Vice President of Player Personnel Stephen Jones, with “pay Micah” chants throughout training camp.
When asked about the rowdy fans and their evident frustrations over the contract situation, Stephen Jones put the ball squarely in Parsons’ court.
“It doesn’t change anything,” Jones told reporters on Sunday. “We want to pay Micah, too. He’s gotta want to be paid.”
That statement signals that the Cowboys have made their final offer, and it’s up to Parsons to either sign it or enter into the last year of his rookie contract with no extension.
The price tag for Parsons’ final year of his rookie deal? $24 million.
A princely sum to be sure, but Parsons clearly values long-term security, not just a one-year King’s Ransom, as all players do. The desire for long-term security has become only more so with the recent extension signed by teammate and fellow Big 10 alum Jakke Ferguson, who got four years and $52 million from the Joneses.
Is Parsons worth a big-money extension? Absolutely. In four years, he’s racked up 52.5 sacks (13 per year on average). S
So, what gives? Why not sign him to an extension?
A few things are happening here. First, Parsons didn’t hold out. So, right there, he has taken away a lot of his leverage. Second, $24 million isn’t really all that much money for a player like Micah Parsons.
Most star players are extended after their second year. The Cowboys didn’t do that because, for the last two years, they’ve received first-ballot Hall of Fame play from Parsons for a total cost of just over $10 million.
That’s nothing, less than nothing.
So, why not pay him the $24 million instead of the $45 million plus he is absolutely worth? If Pittsburgh star pass-rusher TJ Watt is going to make $44 million this year at the age of 31 (he turns 31 in October), then how much more could Parsons make this year at the age of 26? Not to mention the fact that Parsons is by most accounts a better player at his point in his career than Watt.
There’s simply no incentive for Dallas to hurry up and pay Parsons. Will the Cowboys get creamed next year when Parsons hits the open market? Yes, very much so.
But that’s next year.
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